Method of and apparatus for annealing glassware



May 28, 1929.

P. Q. WELLEAMS METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASSWARE q; Filed Mar-ch 50, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet May 28, 1929. P. Q. WILLIAMS METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASSWARE Filed March 30, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 28, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PERCY Q. WILLIAMS, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OWENS BOTTLE COMPANY,

. OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASSWARE.

Application filed March so, 1927. Serial No. 179,505.

The present invention relates to improvements in method of and apparatus for annealing glassware and particularly to that type in which the annealing medium is con tinuously circulated through the annealing chamber, and a recuperator, the latter serving to raise the temperature of the annealing medium to the proper degree just prior to injection into the annealing chamber.

An object of the present invention is to provide in a leer of the above type, a construction in which the annealing medium during its return to the recuperator for reheating, is forced longitudinally of and' in contact with the lower side of the ware carrying reach of the conveyor to cool the latter. Due to the passage of the annealing medium through the annealing chamber and the suction boxes, a certain amount of heat has been dissipated so that contact of this annealing medium with the ware conveyor during return of the former to the recuperator, causes a lowering of the temperature of a predetermined length of said conveyor. Thus, the annealing medium first serves to raise the temperature of the ware to the degree desired and then at a point spaced rearwardly from the annealing zone, functions as a ware cooling agent.

Other objects will be apparent hereinafter.

Much of the construction herein disclosed is included in the subject matter of my copending application, S. N. 129,373, filed August 16, 1926.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view illustrating the application of my invention to a glass annealing leer, the antifriction rollers for the ware conveyor being eliminated for the sake of clarity.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the front end of a leer showing the suction fan -which causes circulation of the annealing medium.

Fi 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. '4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of Fig. 1. Referring to the drawings, the leer comprises spaced side walls!) resting in part upon longitu ifial base members 6 formed of channel iron units, said side walls being interconnected at their upper ends by a cover or ceiling 7. The side walls and cover are formed of suitable insulating material held in' place by a metal casing 8. The ware receiving end of the leer may be closed by a vertically movable gate 9. An endless ware conveyor 10 is arranged between the walls of the leer and at its front end runs over two vertically spaced sprocket wheels 11. This ware conveyor 10 is preferably in the form of a series of interconnected transverse metal plates or pans spaced apart slightly to permit circulation of an annealing medium as will be hereinafter pointed out. This conveyor runs over anti-friction rollers 60 (Fig. 4) for obvious reasons.

Arranged between the upper and lower reaches of the ware conveyor at the forward end of the leer, is a heating unit including a combustion chamber 21 and a tube recuperator 13; Obviously, a recuperator other than the tube type shown may be employed if desired. This unit is of a type similar to that disclosed in my co-pending application, S. N. 129,373, above mentioned. In the present application, the recuperator is spaced a greater distance below the upper reach of the conveyor than in the co-pending application referred to, and the top casting 40 of the recuperator 13 is enlarged at its forward end to provide a seal 14 directly over the combustion chamber 12.-

The bottom casting 15 .provides a chamber 16 which communicates through its upper side with-the recuperator tubes. This casting 15 is formed with a rearward extensior. 17 which supports an end block 18 of re-. fractory material serving to close the rear end of the recuperator and provide communication between the upper and lower sections of said recuperator. The end block 18 is extended upwardly into proximity to the ware conveyor forming ing rearward movement 0 the hot annealing a seal 19 prevent- V medium-beneath the ware conveyor. Thus,

it is seen that the annealing medium passes directly into the annealingchamber 20 from the recuperator 13.

Arranged rearwardly of the recuperator and directly above the rearward extension 17 of the bottom casting 15 is a .pairof vertically spaced trans-verse pipes leading to a suction fan 21 located at one side of the leer. The

upper pipe 22 is formed with an opening 23 viding communication between saidpipe and a longitudinal under-pan passageway 24 which extends a predetermined distance rearwardly beneath the ware conveyor 10. The lower pipe 25 is formed with a longitudinal opening 26 which, together with a similarly formed opening 27 in extension 17 of the recuperator casting 15, provides communication betweensaid pipe 25 and the lower chamber 16 of the recuperator. Thus, it is seen that when the fan 21 is iii operation, suction will be created to cause. movement of air from the under-pan passageway 24 to the rccuperator and annealing chamber by way of the two transverse vertically spaced pipes 22 and 25 and the chamber 16 in the bottom casting of the recuperator.

Control of the length or effectiveness of the annealing zone and flow of exhausted annealing medium to the under-pan passageway zl, is obtained by providing a series of longitudinally spaced suction boxes 30 each including a substantially inverted U-shaped hollow casting. The lower wall 31 of the transverse passageway in the suction box 30 is formed with'a series of openings 32 closable by a slide valve 33 whose position is controlled by adjustment of the hand wheel 34 at one side ofthe leer. Communication between this transverse passageway and the under-pan passageway 24 is effected by providing transversely aligned openings 35 in the inner walls of the depending arms of each casting (Fig. 4).

The under-pan passageway 24 is created by providing a horizontal partition 45 including top and bottomplates Y46 and 47, respectively, between which 'is arranged sultabl e insulating material. The-top plate 46 preterably terminates just rearwardly of the last of the series of suction boxes 30 and at this point supports a vertically transverse plate 48 which closes the rear end of the underpan passageway.

In operating a leer constructed as' above set forth, the ware is placed in the front end in the usual manner and is moved rearwardly through the annealing zone and to the delivery end upon the ware conveyor 10. v The annealing medium which is indirectly he'atcd during its passage through the recuperator tubes, enters the annealing chamber, passes over the surface of the ware being treated and is then exhausted from the leer tunnel' through one or more'of thesuction boxes 30.

The length or effectiveness of the annealing zone is readily controlled by adjusting the suction box valves 33 so that a greater or less quantity of the annealing medium will be ex hausted through the several suction boxes.

If the circumstances require a relatively long period of annealing, the valve in the first suction box will be entirely closed and perthe top of the rearward boxes '30, the annealing medium haps the second or intermediate suction box Thus, the annealing medium will enter the I and be exhausted through the intermediate suction box 30, thence in o the under-pan passageway 24 through which said medium moves forwardly to the suction fan and on into the recuperator for reheating and injection into the annealing chamber. In moving rearwardly through the annealing chamber and during its passage through the suction is cooled to a greater or less degree so that upon entry into the under-pan passageway and forward movement through the latter, said medium effects a slight cooling of the ware conveyor 10 during its movement over said passageway. Due to the fact that the annealing medium does not undergo an excessive drop in temperature, the ware conveyor is not chilled but merely has its temperature lowered to a slight yet appreciable degree so that there is a gradual cooling of the ware as it leaves the heating zone. This cooling feature is particularly advantageous where the warebottoms are extremely heavy, have been thoroughly heated in the annealing zone and ordinarily retain considerable heat after the body portions have cooled. By applying the cooled annealing medium to the ware conveyor and consequently the bottoms of the ware, as above stated, uniform cooling of the entire ware structure is more readily obtained than has been heretofore possible.

Manifestly, certain minor changes may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

, What I claim is: 1. The method which consists in passing articles through a leer tunnel, causing movement of an annealing medium over the surfaces of the articles and in the direction of travel of the articles, reversing the direction of movement of the annealing medium at a predetermined point, and causing the reversed medium to modify the temperature of the lower portions of the articles.

2. The method which consists in passing articles through a leer tunnel, causing movement of an annealing medium over the surfaces of the articles and in the direction of travel of the articles. reversing the direction of movement of the annealing medium at a predetermined point, lowering the temperature of the annealing medium. and causing the reversed medium to modify the temperature of the'lower. portions of the articles.

3.- A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, a-ware conveyor, a heating unit at the forward end of the annealing chamber, means causing an annealing medium to pass through the heating unit into the annealing chamber, and means for exhausting the annealing medium from the annealing chamber and causing movement of the exhausted medium forwardly of the leer in contact with the lower side of the ware conveyor.

4. A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, a ware conveyor, a heating unit at the forward end of the annealing chamber, means causing the annealing medium to pass through the heating unit into the annealing chamber, means for exhausting the annealing medium from the annealing chamber and causing movement of the exhausted medium forwardly of the leer in contact with the lower side of the'ware conveyor, and means for changing the point of first contact between the exhausted anneal ing medium and the ware conveyor.

5. A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, a ware conveyor, a heating unit at the forward end of the annealing chamber, means causing the annealing medium to pass through the heating unit into the annealing chamber, and means permitting exhaust of the annealing medium.

from the annealing chamber and movement of the exhausted medium forwardly of the leer in contact with the lower side of the ware conveyor.

6. A.g1asswareannealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, a ware conveyor, a,

heating unit at the forward end of the annealing chamber, means causing an annealing medium to pass through the heating unit into the annealing chamber, means permitting exhaust of the annealing medium from the annealing chamber and movement of the exhausted medium forwardly of the leer incontact with the lower side of the ware conveyor, means for changing the point of first contact between the exhausted annealing medium and the ware conveyor, and means causing forced circulation of the annealin medium through the heating unit and chain er and along the bottom surfaces of the ware conveyor.

7. A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, a ware conveyor, a heating unit at the forward end of the annealing chamber, means providing a longitudinal passageway whose upper wall is formed by the ware conveyor, means causing movement of an annealing medium through the heating unit into the annealing chamber, and suction boxes arranged at spaced intervals along the leer and providing communication between the annealing chamber and the passageway beneath the ware conveyor whereby the annealing medium may be exhausted from the annealing chamber and moved forwardly through the passageway.

8. A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, a ware conveyor, a heating unit at the forward end of the annealing chamber, means providing a longitudinal passageway whose upper wall is formed bythe ware conveyor, means causing movement of an annealing medium through the heating unit into the annealing chamber, suction boxes arranged at spaced intervals along the leer and providing communication between the annealing chamber and the passageway beneath the ware conveyor, and means operable to close certain of the suction boxes to vary the effective length of said passageway.

9. A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, valved suction boxes communicating with the annealing chamber, an endless ware conveyor, a heating unit at the forward end of the annealing chamber, means forming with a predetermined length of the ware conveyor a longitudinal passageway directly beneath said conveyor, means providing communication between the suction boxes and said passageway, and means including a suction fan forming communication between the passageway and the heating unit and causing continuous circulation of the annealing medium.

10. A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, suction boxes spaced along the annealing chamber, an endless ware conveyor, a partition spaced below a length of the upper reach of the ware conveyor to form a passageway'extending longitudinally of the latter, a recuperator at the forward end of the leer, pipe connection between the passageway and said suction boxes, independently operable valves adjustable to shut off communication between said suction boxes and the passageway, and means including a suction fan forming communication between the forward end of said passageway and the recuperator.

11. A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, a ware conveyor, a heating unit, and means causing an annealing medium to pass through the heating unit into the annealing chamber rearwardly over the conveyor and forwardly along the under side of the ware conveyor to the heating unit.

12. A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, a ware conveyor, a heating unit, means causing an annealing medium to pass through the heating unit into the annealing chamber over the conveyor, means to return the medium to the heating unit and during its return apply said medium to the under side of the ware conveyor, and manually adjustable means for controlling the extent of application of the medium to the conveyor during said return movement.

13. A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, a ware conveyor, a heating unit, means causing an annealing medium to pass through the heating unit into the annealing. chamber over the conveyor, means for applying a cooling medium to the under side of the ware conveyor, and a single mechanism operating to cause continuous circulation of the annealing and cooling mediums.

14. A glassware annealing leer comprising an annealing chamber, a vvare conveyor, a heating unit, means causing an annealing medium to pass through the heating unit into 5 the annealing chamber over the conveyor, means for applying a cooling medium to the under side of the ware conveyor, a single means causing circulation of said mediums, and valve mechanism controlling in part the rate of movement of said mediums.

Si ned. at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and tate of Ohio, this 26th day of March,

PERCY Q. WILLIAMS. 

